As we all know Radio has changed in many ways in the past few years, mostly not for the good. One thing that is very noticeable to me is how the industry does on news coverage in general. Most stations steal their news from the newspaper, TV, or other Radio stations or just don't have any at all....mere "juke boxes" of music. Even the stations known for news have slipped a lot in my opinion. One of the most noticeable ways is in the lack of actualities, i.e. tapes of the news makers voice. If TV were doing the same thing, they would use mug shots of the mayor, police chief, etc. and not actual tapes of the person talking on camera. I contend that the use of actualities is the truest test of who is really doing the news right. Of course there are stations galore with a one man news room...obviously they can't do it right. But, even that is better than none at all. What say you?
Of course, 'back in the day', News and Public Affairs programming were mandated by the FCC. So, EVERYBODY had to do some kind of news, public service and public affairs programming as a condition of their license.
I remember stations like KAAY in Little Rock, who turned news into part of the format, with their fast-paced, jingle-filled, tone-punctuated, sensational newscasts. These were apparently modeled after the "FUN-damental News" formats developed in south Florida. "If the FCC says we have to do news, we'll make it a vital part of our format." The Drake stations did "20-20 News", so they could make the newscast shorter.
I'm quite sure that radio news, as we remember it, would have been quite different without the mandate by the FCC. And, we see what has happened since that mandate was removed.
And, don't even get me started on 'localism'. I see the FCC is having a forum on localism on Halloween Day. Hmph! I'd love to testify on that forum!
I can remember in the 70's 80's and most of the 90's anywhere you went in Springfield you would hear KTTS in the background and if you where conducting business even at DMV or city hall if the news bulletin sounder came on it was like EF Hutton. everything stopped and it was turned up and people listened. Much like today you can still hear KTTS every where when the sky threatens. I believe it would still be that way today if they still had all the coverage.But just as important the same sounds when they break in. There were a lot of ears that could recognize those sounds a block away. Some had to do with the EBS tone for the ever famous weather alert radios that went off faster then the NWS weather radio. Also most of those offices were not country music fans but news and weather listeners. Then they would hear the occasional tune that they liked and bingo you started another country music listener. I wonder what would happen if XGM had a station to run today. I bet some stock would go up there.
Excellent comments, XGM. Part of the problem is the slicing the amount of time for newscasts. If you only have 90-seconds, actualities are tough to do.
I think local news, if done right, could echo the style of CBS rado network. They have short actualities, voicers with actualities woven into them, and other neat stuff.
The actualities are 5 to 10 seconds, voicers run 30, unless it is a big, big story and they can do 40-seconds. It sound great!
The problem is it takes time. Newsrooms are running thin and most are jumping into the internet, as they should, and being creative is out the door.
Here at WLW we're not an overstaffed newsroom (ten people total, including on-air News Director, for 24/7 live TOH & BOH) but I'll say all of our reporters do a good job of getting actualities and writing them into the wraps. Most of the wraps have two cuts each, and mine are all around 30 seconds. 35 tops. Straight voicers are 20 seconds.
While we do get a lot of stuff from TV (we're partnered with WLWT-Channel 5) this newsroom is still doing a lot of its own legwork and reporting.
Here's one of my pieces from about three weeks ago, for example. I'm not normally this nasal but I had a cold at the time - you'll still get the point though. Quick, concise, compact.
Great report Will. A fastpaced working newsroom is full of excitment, drama, fun and can truly be the "hub" of the city...or atleast sound like it is. The theater of the mind that radio creates can really be used in production and style to make the newsroom seem almost bigger than life. I always liked a phrase that John Stevens often used when promoting the 24-hour newscenter ..."constantly, writing, rewriting, updating, editing and reporting the news". A major newsroom should be manned 24-hours a day, it sounds like you are into a good thang there.
